WEBVTT SOLEDAD: IT'S BEEN NEARLY A YEARSINCE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONTHAT STUNNED POLITICAL INSIDERS,POLLSTERS, AND TO BE SURE, THEDEMOCRATIC PARTY.THEY ARE LOOKING TO 2018 AS ACHANCE TO GAIN GROUND WITHVOTERS.IT WILL BE AN UPHILL BATTLE THE STATES WHERE 27 OF THE 38GOVERNORSHIPS IN PLAY ARE HEBY THE GOP.TAKE GEORGIA.THE ODDS AGAINST A DEMOCRATWINNING SEEM INSURMOUNTABLE.NO NON-INCUMBENT DEMOCRAT HASBEEN ELECTED TO STATEWIDE OFFICETHERE IN NEARLY 20 YEARS.THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BOTHERSTACEY ABRAMS,A DEMOCRAT RUNNINGTOWARD HISTORY, SET ON BECOMINGTHE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICANFEMALE GOVERNOR IN THE COUNTRY.JESSICA GOMEZ VISITED ABRAMS OTHE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO FIND OUTWHY SHE THINKS A WIN COULD BE AMATTER OF SIMPLE MAT[KNOCKING]JESSICA: KNOCKING ON DOORS INSUBURBAN ATLANTA, DEMOCRATSTACEY ABRAMS -- HOPING TOBECOME GEORGIA'S NEXT GOVERNORABRAMS: WE HAVE A PLAN THATWOULD CREATE 45,000 JOBS.JESSICA: THEY ARE DOORS THATHAVE A WAY OF OPENING FOR THE43-YEAR-OLD ABRAMS, WHEN THEYHAVEN'T FOR THOSE BEFORE HER.>> IF SHE IS ELECTED, SHE WINOT ONLY BE THE FIRSTAFRICAN-AMERICANHISTORY WHO IS NTHE UNITEDJESSICA: ABRAMS IS UFIRST -- THE FIRST FEMALEVALEDICTORIAN IN HER HIGHSCHOOL.SHE WENT ON SHE SAID HER PROGRADPARENTS INSTILLED THE IDEA OCIVIC REM ABRAMS: THEY WANTED VERY INTENTIONAL AND TTHEY USED TO SAY NO MATTER HOWLIE HAD, THERE WAS SOMEONEWITH LESS.IT WAS OUR JOB TO SERTPERSON THAT SENSE OF SERVILED ABRAMS TO THE STATELEGISLATURE, AND MORSHE WAS THAFRICAN-AMERICAN TO LEAD, ANTHE FIRST FEMALE TO LEAD THEGENERAL ASSEMBLY.ABRAMS: I LIKE INFRASTRUCTURAND HOW YO JOIN -- HOW YBUILD A CAPACITY FOR CI AM STACNYOU FROM THE GREAT STATE OFGEORGIJESSICA: SPEAKING FROM TDEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, SHE HASALREADY RAKED IN BIGENDORSABRAMS: THIS IS THE STATEOWATCH.WE ARE FURTHER AHEAD INDEMOGRAPHIC CHANGEORGIA TODAY MILLION REGISTERED, ELIG LEANINOSIMPLY DON'T VOTEMY JOB IS TO CAN BE ACHIESO YES, I WOULD BE OCONVINCE REPUBLICANS TO VODEMOCRO ISPRETEND TO BE A REPUBLICAN TOMAKE THAT HAPPEN.I AM NOT GOING TO PRETEND TO NOTBELIEVE IN LABOR.I AM NOT GOING T NBE PRO-CHOICE.I AM NOT GOING TO PRETEND THATCLIMATE CHANGE ISN'T REAL.JESSICA: KNOWN AS AUNT STACEY TOHER NIECES AND NEPHEWS, ABRAMSIS QUICK-WITTED AND ASELF-PROCLAIMED TALKER.SHE SPENDS HER FREE TIME WITHHER FAMILY -- AND WRITING.SHE'S AUTHORED EIGHT ROMANTICSUSPENSE NOVELS UNDER THE PENNAME SELENA MONTGOMERY.ABRAMS: I LOVE WRITING ROMANTIC-- I LOVE WRITING.I LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT THE MENTHAT WILL ONE DAY FIND ME.HOPEFULLY, HE WILL STEP OUT OFTHESE PAGES AND SHOW UP AT MYFRONT DOOR.JESSICA: I WAS GHAVE WRITTEN ALL OF THESE BOOKSAND YOU ARE SINGLE?ABRAMS: IT IS HARD.DATING IS HARD.I HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BUSY ANDFOCUSED WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORDS "THETHE U.S.," WHAT DOES THAT MEANTO YOU?ABRAMS: I'M PROUD.BUT I AM ALSO EXCITED, BECAUSE IAM HELPING CHANGE THE FACE OFWHAT WE THINK LEADERSHIP LOOKSLIKE.I DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO VOTEFOR ME BECAUSE I AM BLACK.I DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO VOTEFOR ME BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN.BUT I DO EXPECT YOU TO KNOWTHAT BECAUSE I AM A BLACK WOMATHERE ARE EXPERIENCES THAT IHAVE.THERE ARE BARRIERS I HAVEOVERCOME THAT SIGNAL TO YOU MYRESILIENCE, MY FORTITUDE, MYABILITY TO BE A STRONG LEADER.YOU GOT ONE.JESSICA: SHOULD SHE WIN, ABRAMSSAGTHAN BEING FIRST IS THAT SHEWOULDN'T BE THE LAST.ABRAMS: I WANT MY NIECES, INPARTICULAR, TO BE ABLE TO LOAT THEIR AUNT STACEY AND SAY,"SHE IS IN CHARGE OF THE STATEOF GEORGIABUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WANTTHEM TO SAY THEY COULD BE TOTHANK YOU SO MUCH.[APPLAUSE]JESSICA: IN GEORGIA, FOR "MATTOF FACT," I'M JESSICA GOMEZ.SOLEDAD: STACEY ABRAMS NEEDS TOWIN THE PRIMARY IN GEORGIABEFORE MOVING ON TO THE GENERALELECTION IN NOVEMBER OF 2018.ABRAMS IS RUNNING AGAINSTANOTHER STACEY ON THE DEMOCRATICTICKET, STACEY EVANS39-YEAR-OLD EVANS IS ALSO ALAWYER AND A FORMER STATEREPRESENTATIVE.SHE SAYS SHE GREW UP IN POVERTYIN RURAL GEORGIA, AND WAS THEFIRST IN HER FAMILY TO GO TOA RECIPIENT OF GEORGIA'S HOPESCHOLARSHIP FOR ACADEMICACHIEVEMENT, EVANS SAYS SHE IS ELECTED SHE WILL RESTOREGOP CUHOPE TO GEORGIA'S FAMILIES.EVANS: I WAS ABLE TO FIGHT TOPIECE BACK CUTS TO THE HOPESCHOLARSHIP AFTER THAT PROGRAMWAS VICIOUSLY CUT IN 2011 DURINGMY FIRST SESSION.MY LIFELINE CUT TO SHREDLEAVING FOLKS OUT FROM THE SAMEPATH THAT GOT ME INTO THATCHAMBER.I FOUGHT TO PIECE BACK AS MANYCUTS AS I COULD, BUT I COULDN'TGET ALL THE WAY THERE, AND YOUKNOW WHERE I KEPT GETTINGSTOPPETHE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.SO I AM RUNNING TO BRING HOPEAND OPPORTUNITY TO ALL GEORGIA

Could She Become the First African American Female Governor?

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Updated: 4:29 PM CDT Oct 27, 2017

She’s a Democrat running in deep red Georgia, set on changing history. She wants to accomplish what Georgia hasn’t done in nearly 20 years – elect a Democrat to statewide office – and what the United States has not done in its entire history – elect an African American woman as governor. Correspondent Jessica Gomez meets with Abrams on the campaign trail to find out why she thinks the math is on her side.